The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-12-27
FIFTEEN MILLIONS IN CHARITY.

The Manner in Which the Owner OF the
Bon Marche" Disposed of Her Property.
Lucy Hooper's Paris Letter.
The death and funeral OF Madame Boucicaut.
proprietress of the great dry goods store, the
Bon Merche, has not failed to attract great
deal Of attention, in spite OF the preoccupations
caused by the ministerial crisis and by the at
tempt to assassinate NJ Jules Ferry. What
noble and benefcent Madame Boucicaut has
made of her colossal fortune! Il is true that she
had no relatives to lay claim to any part Of it.
Her only near connection her daughter-in-
law, the widow of her only son, who has long
since been married to prominent Partisan ply
stefan, and who probably provided for by
her marriage settlements. Young Boucicaut,
whose premature death took place several years
ago. did not take after his mother in any respect
He was foolish. dissipated young man, who
abridged his days by fast living and his
death was probably more OF relief than
sorrow to his relatives. Nine. Bouci-
caut had become, in her later
years, very inirm. She had grown
very stout and walked with difficulty and the
asthma, q sudden aggravation OF which at last
proved fatal, WAS a continual distress to her.
But she maintained to the last her superintend-
ence over and her interest in the great estab-
lishment which had come 10 take the place in
her heart OF her dead husband and child. Of
her fine collection of paintings, three go to the
government for the galleries of the Louvre
namely, q superb Fromentin. the Doe in the
Woods of Courbet. and the Reapers, by Dupre.
She also owned that most exquisite of modern
Madonnas. the first of the series of three
painted within the last fifteen years by Bou-
guereau and representing the infant Jesus on
the knees OF the Virgin and leaning forward 20
kiss the boy-saint. John the Baptist, who stands
beside the Holy Mother. The Virgin, seated in
q chair, rather a throne of Byzantine mosaic
looks with fond maternal pride on her Divine
Son. The group of the two children. faultless
in form and charmingly spontaneous in move
ment. is one of the finest Gre
atoms of Bouguereau's pencil The picture
was one of the sensations of the
caut before the opening of the exhibition. The
noble full-leng 9Th portrait of Mime. Boucicaut by
Vibert goes, believe, to grace the reading-room
of the Bon Marche, and TO remind every one
who pauses to contemplate that grave and
kindly countenancs of the large-ininded charities
Of this most noble woman. Her funeral cere-
monies were. most imposing, from the genuine
feelings of homage and regret shat were every
where manifest among those present Since the
obsequies of Victor Hugo such display of
flowers had been seen at Partisan funeral.
The NUM- Der of wrcatbs, some of which were SO
immense as to require from four to six men to
carry them was roughly estimated amount
ing to fifteen hundred. One of these, entirely
composed of white camellias was carried on q
hand barrow on account of its size and weight.
Yet even more potent as a tribute TO her
memory were the tears shed by the employees
of The Bon Marche when they We're first told
that their good, and kind, and revered employer
was more Madame Boucicants fortune
amounted to fifteen millions of dollars. and she
has SO divided II as to insure the doing with II
OF the greatest possible amount of good Moth
ing was bequeathed for her own self gicrifica-
ton; neither cathedral monument to en-
shrine her remains will be erected out of her
own funds. Bat art will be benefited, and
poverty and suffering will be relieved. There
will be less sickness and suffering in the world
because this generous and charitable woman
once lived in It. Amongst the minor requests
in her will were those of $40, GOO apiece to the
Society OF Painters. the Society of Musicians
and the Society of Dramatic Artists. Even her
silverware and table linen go to the chief free
educational houses of Paris. Her wardrobe was
simple and she had but little jewelry, those
of her possessions not named amongst the
snecial leOaciea